Editorial: All out against graffiti

Lost a bit in questions of tensions between neighbors and what city officials declared an out-of-control situation this summer at a Columbian Park basketball court is the issue of graffiti.

The city might be stretching to defend the reasons why parks officials removed the hoops at the court - where complaints of loud and abusive language were lodged often by nearby homeowners. And we've already dealt with the questions about whether removing park features was the best solution. (The upshot: It wasn't.)

But not in question is the city's stance on graffiti removal.

The city has been aggressive on that account, long before property was being tagged around Columbian Park with spray-painted work that might or might not have been gang-related, depending on who you ask.

Lafayette police have been wise to have a volunteer effort on hand to erase or paint over graffiti as soon as possible after it is reported on public property. Left untended, graffiti is a prime way to tell whether a neighborhood has given up and has resigned itself to bad elements. Graffiti removed is a good way to give neighborhoods a fighting chance.

Report graffiti when you see it. Don't let it linger and fester as an invitation for more.

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Editorial: All out against graffiti

Lost a bit in questions of tensions between neighbors and what city officials declared an out-of-control situation this summer at a Columbian Park basketball court is the issue of graffiti.